Picture of the Day: “Ever blessed by God be the women of Amritsar”

The blog GT1588 provides us with the above photo taken in 1906 of pilgrims entering and leaving Darbar Sahib (aka the Golden Temple):

Although the viewpoint chosen by Ponting was a familiar one to photographers who came to the Golden Temple before him, no one in my opinion came as close as he did in capturing the mood that permeates that sacred space or the zestful energy of its devotees. The manner in which he captures the quiet rhythm of life at the Golden Temple a century ago is quite remarkable.

The title of this post is a quote from the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur who, around 1664, blessed the women of Amritsar after they convinced the caretakers of Darbar Sahib to let the Guru in.

It’s tragic irony that today, the caretakers of Darbar Sahib are now preventing women from performing seva (service) in the very same place.